HUB The Landing, Maidenhead

Planning permission has been granted for the demolition of existing buildings to make way for a major mixed-use development in the centre of Maidenhead.

A new planning application was submitted in May 2018 by developer HUB and landowner Smedvig for the creation of 519 homes, a new 5,200m² office building, car parking, 3,400m² of shops and leisure and a vibrant new public space.

The £100 million project follows Skelly & Couch’s collaboration with HUB Group at Abbey Place, a scheme by architects shedkm of 245 highly energy-efficient apartments and a public square next to Abbey Wood Crossrail station. The award-winning building environment and services engineers are carrying out full design MEP and environmental modelling to planning, with client-side monitoring thereafter, meeting the highest sustainable and quality levels.

Close Passivhaus fabric standards mean that only small amounts of heating are required, allowing the use of electric heating throughout. A significant part of the electrical energy will be derived from a large PV array on all roofs. The façade will also incorporate solar control in the form of deep reveals and solar control glazing as well as ventilation openings to supply fresh air to a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system to address the issue of overheating during hot summer periods and provide ventilation.

Skelly & Couch is also implementing a building energy management system with full fault diagnostics and energy sub-metering and introducing lower hot water consumption through low-use water fittings.

Work on the six-building development is expected to start in early 2019. The regeneration project has achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating for Office and Retail spaces.